Mexico plans to bid for the right to host the 2026 World Cup, which might put it in competition with the United States, Mexican Football Federation president Justino Compeán said at a press conference this week.

By the time the 23rd World Cup tournament rolls around, it will have been 32 years since a CONCACAF nation played host, the longest wait by far of any of the five major continental confederations. The U.S. welcomed the world in 1994 and spent millions on its bid to stage the competition in 2022, only to lose out to Qatar in a vote by the FIFA executive committee that remains controversial. The U.S. Soccer Federation hasn’t committed to bidding for the 2026 tournament.

U.S. vs. Mexico for 2026 World Cup host? Rabid fans and modern venues are in Mexico's favor. (AP Photo)

“We want to have a World Cup in 2026. I would say there will be strong competition with the United States. We have 14 years to see whether we have the ability to organize it or not, but I can say that Mexico’s soccer infrastructure continues growing,” Compeán said, citing new stadiums in Guadalajara, Torreón and one soon to be built in Monterrey.

“FIFA is becoming much more demanding with all the requirements,” he said. “The big competitor will be the United States, which of course has great resources, stadiums and triple the population.”

If successful, Mexico would become the first nation to be World Cup host three times. It staged the 1970 tournament, won by Pelé’s Brazil, and then the 1986 event famously dominated by Argentine star Diego Maradona. Colombia originally was scheduled to host in 1986 but pulled out three years before kickoff.

When asked a couple of hours after Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup whether U.S. Soccer would campaign for 2026, federation president Sunil Gulati said, "I think all of us who have been involved in this for quite some time want to sit back. Not very long, but at least until the end of the night before we think about what we might do in the future."

The 2014 tournament will take place in Brazil, which also hosted in 1950. The 2018 World Cup will be staged in Russia. China, which has expressed interesting in hosting the tournament, will be ineligible in ‘26 because a single confederation (in this case, Asia) is barred from hosting consecutive World Cups.